Last minute meals don't have to be frozen — HelloFresh's yummy, veggie-rich dishes give you restaurant-grade food in 30 minutes or less.

Best for those who care about makeup over hair or skin, Ipsy offers extreme customization and an insane value for just $10/month.

By Leah Stodart and Emily Heller2018-11-05 16:13:37 UTC

If you ever listen to podcasts (and don’t skip the ads), you’ve heard about the magic of subscription boxes. I’m a big fan — not only do they make life so much easier and more convenient, they also merge the excitement of getting a package in the mail with the joy of opening a gift. That’s double the fun, y’all.

We’ve rounded up our favorite subscription box services from food, to wine, to makeup, to clothes, to razors — because you deserve the best of the best. There are too many in each of those categories to try out yourself (seriously, have you browsed Cratejoy before?), so we've pulled out the boxes where you'll get the most stuff for the best value.

Last minute meals don't have to be frozen — HelloFresh's yummy, veggie-rich dishes give you restaurant-grade food in 30 minutes or less.

Price:
Starting at $8.74/serving

Customization options:
Classic Plan, Veggie Plan, Family Plan

Everyone would ideally like to be a part of that healthy meal prep life, but not everyone actually knows how to meal prep. (Hint: It's kind of a pain in the ass.) Instead of scrambling to find easy-enough recipes that can last for a week, just put your cooking into the hands of Hello Fresh: The grandaddy of meal kit subscriptions. It's time to let you inner Gordon Ramsay shine.Hello Fresh makes it easy, inexpensive, and exciting to cook healthy meals at home. It’s especially fun if you have a significant other or kids to cook with, since ordering out every night gets boring and expensive. Each week you get a box of between two and four recipes and all of the ingredients you need to whip them up. The ingredients are pre-proportioned, so you won’t just have a random bottle of clam sauce you’re never going to use again lying around. All recipes are designed to take around 30 minutes and are simple enough for a complete beginner. Because you're able to choose your recipes each week, Hello Fresh may be better for picky eaters than, say, Blue Apron, because it allows you to choose your recipes each week rather than hoping you like your delivery.
One of HelloFresh's extra bonuses is its customization options for those with dietary limitations or preferences: There's a veggie-only plan for vegetarians, a slightly discounted family plan, and while there's no gluten-free specific plan, they will let you know which meals are gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, and shellfish-free. They also have a wine delivery option, which is always a plus.
Meals start at just $8.74 per serving on the family plan or $9.99 per serving on the classic or veggie plan. That's pricier than some other kits, but still cheaper (and healthier) than eating out. They even offer $60 off — AKA $20 off your first free deliveries. Sign up here.

Best for those who care about makeup over hair or skin, Ipsy offers extreme customization and an insane value for just $10/month.

Price:
$10/month

Birchbox and Ipsy are the OGs in the affordable beauty subscription game, with Play! by Sephora coming along a few years later. All three are great for their own reasons, and at just 10 bucks per month, you can't go wrong with any of them. But at the end of the day, these boxes exist to sell you more beauty products, and Ipsy's established name, super high value, and in-depth customization makes for the best combo of quality and quantity.
Each month, you'll receive four to five items, with one or two being full-sized. Everything comes in an adorable mini "Glam Bag," so you can stop traveling with makeup in a Ziploc bag. Another cute AF thing: Each month's bag is themed and comes with a little look book full of theme-related glam inspo. Most themes will even correspond to time of year, whether that's a holiday or weather that requires different cosmetics. Each box is valued around $40 to $80, which is significantly better than Birchbox or Play! by Sephora.
Worried that you're going to keep receiving products that are just the wrong color or shade for your complexion? Don't be. Ipsy's beauty quiz will ask about your skin tone, hair and eye color, what colors of everything you usually go for, and even how much makeup you like to wear. With that, it's unlikely that you'll get something that you hate in your box — but if you do, just review it online and Ipsy will take that into account for the coming months. Birchbox rarely sends full-sized items and Play! by Sephora is limited to Sephora-only brands with limited customization, and we think this is what gives Ipsy the leg up. (Check out our full lineup of the best beauty subscription boxes here.)

Being a geek isn't a hobby, it's a lifestyle. Immerse yourself in entertainment with Loot Crate's massive merch variety from video games to comics — just don't expect to talk to customer service.

Price:
Starting at $19.99

A case where the original still reigns supreme is in the geeky collectibles and gear subscription box. Loot Crate is the best of the best, and has built an entire community around unboxing their loot.
The original Loot Crate set out to be “comic-con in a box,” containing at least four pop-culture related items valued at over $45 total. There’s guaranteed to be a t-shirt in every box, and they often collaborate with brands to deliver exclusive products. Each monthly box is centered around a theme – past themes have included “future,” “anti-hero,” and “origins.” There’s also a Loot Crate DX subscription for the truly dedicated nerds out there, with premium items worth at least $100. We here at Mashable have a fun time every month trying to guess what the new theme will bring.
Loot Crate has also branched out into all kinds of other nerdy areas. There’s an anime box, a Sanrio box (delivered every 3 months — Hello Kitty has a busy life,) and even an adorable box for pets. Gamers can subscribe to a specific gaming box, or even pick a bi-monthly box with exclusively Halo- or Fallout-related loot. The Loot Wear offshoot has apparel subscriptions for socks, underwear, t-shirts, wearables, and “For Her.” I haven’t even gotten to the film and TV crates yet, but you get it. There’s a lot of stuff here. All nerds will be able to find something they’ll love unboxing every month.
With all this the variety, the fan community, and exclusive items, there’s just no competitor even coming close to beating Loot Crate in the geeky collectible box game.

Referring to themselves as "the Netflix of Wine," Winc offers a wide variety of fine wines without the fine wine price.

Price:
Starting at $52/month

Customization options:
Taste preferences, number of bottles per month

There are thousands of varietals of wine out there and you can’t drink them all — though we don’t blame you for trying. Wine subscription boxes are here to help. There are boxes for the casual wine drinker and boxes for a more refined palate, but whether you’re an aspiring sommelier or your go-to is Barefoot Pinot Grigio, there’s something for you to like at Winc. The quality, variety, and stellar customer service make Winc (formerly Club W) the winner in wine subscription boxes.
Like many food and drink subscription boxes, Winc has a taste survey when you sign up. Every month, they recommend four bottles of wine that match your preferences. The default recommendation is for two white and two red, but you can change it. You can also decide that you’re not feeling one or more of the bottles, and either replace it or remove it (four are required for free shipping, but you can choose three if you prefer.) If you don’t like a wine you were recommended it’s fully refunded, but I’ve liked everything they’ve sent me. Then again, I’m not a picky drinker.
The best part? Wine starts at just $13/bottle, meaning you can get four per month for as low as $52. (That's some nice AF wine for the price of a bottle of Barefoot). Shipping is free, and they'll also take $20 off your first order. This isn't some exclusive fancy wine and cheese club that makes you pay a fortune just to hang out with them, guys — they just want you to try some new damn wine. Sign up here and read AskMen's full review here.

The Bottom Line

Graze snacks are super tasty and fun and will brighten your day. No boring bags of chips here.

Price:
$13.99/month

Customization options:
Taste preferences, delivery schedule

Snack boxes are great for busy people who are trying to stay healthy but are constantly surrounded by delicious snacks packed with sugar and fat (I’m looking at you, Doritos.) A weekly delivery of healthy snacks is a lifesaver for all of us mindless snackers. Naturebox is the snack box most people will have heard of — they advertise everywhere — but the snacks just aren’t as good as the ones at Graze.
Graze snacks are interesting, healthy, and, most importantly, they taste amazing. The flapjacks in particular are a marvel of culinary engineering — they have somehow managed to make rolled oat bars moist and chewy. If sweet treats aren’t your jam, there are also savory snack boxes with fun themes like Pizza Margherita and Sweet Memphis BBQ.
Office snacks tend to be boring and/or unhealthy. Graze snacks are neither. If you order a subscription to your office you’ll never get stranded in the office kitchen desert again. Your first sampler box is free, so you have no excuse not to try it.

Some schedules just don't make time for shopping — good thing Stitch Fix's personal stylists send curated pieces right to your door.

Price:
$20/box

Customization options:
Men's, women's, kids', style, budget

We're sure you already know this, but life schedules can get nastily busy. Like, so busy that some of us don't even have the time (or energy) to do any shopping past groceries. You could shop online, but doing that with clothes can be hella risky. Will it fit? Are returns free? Is this even what the kids are wearing these days? Chill — Stitch Fix has your back.Think of it as the subscription service of Queer Eye. To get started, you'll out a style profile, sharing your clothing style, size, and price preference with your very own personal stylist. Each box contains five in-style pieces (clothing, shoes, and accessories) specially curated by your stylist, as well as advice on how to pair them. If the outfit slays, you can buy it. If it's not what you had in mind, you can just as easily return it. Shipping is free both ways, so commitment is minimal. If you don't like something, just let your stylist know, and they'll try make sure they don't send similar things in the future. Remember, your stylists may not have the same idea of "classy" or "boho" that you do, so getting a perfect "fix" every month is near impossible — but they'll try their best to stay within your guidelines.
The each curated box and the styling service costs costs $20 each, and if you choose to purchase one of your items, they'll apply that $20 to the total cost. If you're balling on a budget, no worries — the clothes you're sent won't exceed the spending limit that you mentioned in your quiz, and you can decide to order on-demand instead of by month if you'd like.

For a few bucks per month, you can guarantee that you're never without a razor for an important day again. May your cabinets be fully stocked and your skin be stubble-free.

Price:
Starting at $5/month

Ordering razors in the mail may seem like an unnecessary thing to pay for — until it's the morning before an important interview or the hours before a hot date and you realize you forgot to buy a new razor. Guess you're meeting the CEO with a 5 o'clock shadow.Dollar Shave Club is your key to getting away with lazy shopping forever. It's probably the most popular shaving subscription out there, and we can see why — starting at just $5 each month ($35.55 every three months for the restock bundle), you'll get a steady supply of high quality razors with way sharper blades than you'd expect for the price. (As their boxes say, "I like shaving with a dull razor," said no one ever.) What's even better is that you're completely in control of your subscription: Choose the type of razor head you want, how often you receive refills, and add extra bathroom products if you're always out of shave butter, too. The more you buy, the more you rack up Handsome Discount savings.
And no, this isn't just for men. Ladies who like to keep it smooth can also get in on the action — we've even seen a lot of couples mentioning that they split the subscription.

Whether it's for you and bae to match or for a well-deserved night of wine and no pants, MeUndies wants to make sure life is always comfy and never boring.

Price:
Starting at $8/month

Customization options:
Men's, women's, color, style, size

Lingerie is cool and all, but what's really sexy is matching your underwear with your SO — especially when they have pizza on them. MeUndies has a huge selection of super adorable, comfortable matching underwear and socks for couples, with pairs that are customizable down to the size and style of underwear or height of the socks. As their website says, "it's about to get real cute in here."
Of course, this isn't only for couples — everyone deserves a gift that comfy each month. (MeUndies claims that they're the world's most comfortable underwear.) Plus, just think about how fun it will be going to work knowing that under your business casual getup, your undergarments have puppies on them. If you thought you hated wearing pants before, you're done for now. And unlike wine or food boxes, these are items you can keep on using — and if you're one of those people that would rather buy new underwear than do laundry (raises hand) you know you always have a fresh pair coming in the mail.
Men and women can choose from four different sizes and styles of underwear (with women also having bra options as well). Socks were also recently added to the mix for extreme undergarment awesome-ness, with new patterns popping up regularly. There are around 25 colors and adventurous patterns to choose from at a time, so you're guaranteed to never get bored. Get matching pairs for you and bae starting at $30/month, or single pairs for you starting at $14/month.

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